The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Mathew Verghis, has commissioned seven landmark projects executed by the administration of Babagana Umara Zulum in Borno State, describing the initiatives as transformative milestones in the state’s recovery and development drive.
The projects—comprising a flyover bridge, three state-of-the-art mega schools, and three dual-carriageway roads—underscore Governor Zulum’s commitment to post-insurgency urban renewal, infrastructure expansion, and human capital development.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Verghis commended Governor Zulum’s leadership and reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting Borno’s rebuilding efforts.
He noted that the projects reflect a strong partnership between the State, Federal Government, and development stakeholders.
The educational facilities commissioned include the 30-classroom Government Secondary School, Mainusari, Mairi; the 30-classroom Mega Primary School, Maimusari; and the 20-classroom Command Secondary School, Maiduguri. The infrastructure projects unveiled are the West End Flyover Bridge, the 1.53-kilometre Sultan Mainalari Dual Carriage Road, the 2.3-kilometre Bursari Dual Carriage Road, and the 2.4-kilometre Shehu Sanda Kura Dual Carriage Road.
In his remarks, Governor Zulum highlighted key achievements of his administration in education recovery and expansion. He recalled that findings from the World Bank-supported Recovery and Peace Building Assessment revealed that over 5,000 classrooms were destroyed during the insurgency, leaving about 2.2 million children out of school at the peak of the crisis.
According to the governor, his administration has since constructed 104 new schools and rehabilitated 2,931 classrooms and related facilities, reducing the number of out-of-school children by over 70 percent—from 2.2 million to fewer than 800,000—while boosting school enrolment to over 1.4 million children as of December 2025.
To sustain enrollment and retention, particularly among vulnerable children, the government has distributed over 20 million exercise books, two million textbooks, 1.5 million school uniforms, and 700,000 school bags. The state’s school feeding programme supports about 50,000 pupils annually, while 10,000 bicycles have been distributed to improve access to education in rural communities.
Beyond conventional education, Zulum said the state has prioritised Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by establishing five Vocational Enterprise Institutes, three Second-Chance Women and Girls Skills Entrepreneurship Schools, and reactivating nine vocational training centres.
He also disclosed ongoing reforms to modernise the Tsangaya education system, including the establishment of Higher Islamic Colleges in all 27 local government areas—20 of which have been completed.
On infrastructure, the governor noted that the newly commissioned projects cover 7.44 kilometres of dual carriageway and 14.86 kilometres of drainage systems, in addition to the state’s third flyover bridge.
He added that his administration has so far constructed four flyovers—with another underway—alongside over 412 kilometres of roads and nearly 109 kilometres of drainage networks across Borno State, reinforcing efforts to stimulate economic growth and urban resilience.
RN
